Michael Jackson and ID?

So what does Michael Jackson have with Instructional Design? Well, according to David Buckingham, in the book, The Death of Childhood, "Jacko" represents the morphing of the child and the adult, which mimics the vision that media and technology give of childhood. His asexuality, and ambiguous age reflects the way the media portrays children both as innocent, but sexy, and adults that are child-like. Media obscures the lines between adult and child, as well as confusing literacy and media. Most of this is blamed on marketing literature based on media and vice versa. Commerce is to blame for the disparity between the haves and the have-nots.

Historically Speaking
After reviewing the historical changes in the world of children, Buckingham points out the commerce of youth. Buckingham discusses how the family unit went from a traditional nuclear family to smaller single parent families occasionally supported by extended family. Children spend less time with parents, but are involved in more organized activities, or in private pastimes. Consequently, affluence influences the free time of children. Families that can afford after school programs, sports, and educational software benefit, while poorer families cannot afford theses leisure activities, thus creating a wider gape between the socio-economic levels. Schools have become more structured due to governmental and economic foci. But teaching styles have become more constructivist than behaviorist. Additionally, more students are choosing higher education, but less are involved in the workforce at a young age.

Commerce of Kids
Kids have always been drawn to the adult world, now the adult world is drawn to the economics of children. This text questions how much media influences children and touches on how children, a viable consumer via their parents, impact media. The video discusses how children become consumers when they can focus their eyes, and how advertisers market products for all ages.
CBS News with Katie Couric and Susan Gregory Thomas

Prescription for ID
Prescribing instructional design to this young and gullible audience may seem like easy money, however this relationship needs to be approached cautiously and with consideration. The effects of media must be considered, as does the discrepancy between socio-economic levels. Children's social lives, and how media fits into their lives, can enhance their learning. Over-stimulation and cognitive overload is another consideration that IDs need to think about, and even focus on. With the abundance of media at children’s fingertips, parents, teacher, and instructional designers, must help kids deal with the abundance of information out there. Additionally, these groups need to impart ethics in dealing with appropriate and inappropriate material that the kids may come across.